Apparatus for forming casks, barrels, or other similar receptacles made with staves.



PATENTED APR. 18, 1905.

F. ALEXE. APPARATUS FOR FORMING CASKS, BARRELS, OR OTHER SIMILAR REGBPTAOLES MADE WITH STAVES.'

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, 1904.

2 SHEETS-$11113! 1 No. 787,349. PATENTED APR. 18, 1905. 9f

F. ALBXE. APPARATUS FOR FORMING GASKS, BAR'RELS, OR OTHER SIMILAR ,f

RECEPTACLES MADE WITH STAVES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

F R A N K A L E XE, O l! Patented April 18, 1905.

PATENT @TTTcE.

LONDO N, ENt I LA N I APPARATUS FOR FORMING CASKS, BARRELS, OR OTHER SIMILAR RECEPTACLES MADE WITH STAVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,349, dated April 18, 1905.

. tpnlicaticn filed May 9,1904. Serial Na 207,068.

""11 Ir/m/it if 'nm mites/'11 Be it known that l, Fawn Amcxn, director of public companies. a citizen of the United States of America, residing at 1233 Cannon street, in the city of London, England, have invented certain new and useful Apparatus for Forming (,asks, Barrels, or other Similar Receptacles Made with Staves, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for forming easks, barrels. and other similar rct-eptacles which are capable of being taken to pieces and are made of staves joined together by means of wires or metal hoops.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the staves ot' a cask joined together in the manner indicated. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cask-forming apparatus shown open, as at the moment when the formation of a barrel is begun. Fig. 3 is a plan of same. represented as encircling a coxnpletely-tormed barrel. Fig. T is a perspective view of a linis'ned barrel ready for tilling.

The same parts where they occur are correspondingly lettered in all the ligures.

The apparatus consists of a kind of cage made in two parts hinged or otherwise jointed together and of dimensions suited to the barrel to be formed. Each of these parts is composed of a series of similar hoop-halves 1/ and A. lixed. respectively, by their ends to uprights w and f The uprights 1/ and w for the hoop-halves are lixed on a base while those for the hoop-halves are movable, one of them---vi7..,f-being jointed with hinges w to the corresponding upright half 1/, and the othen-viz., --I)eingsupported on the base by means of a roller or wheel I, attached to its lower extremity.

The movable part of the cage secured and locked to the lixed part thereof by means of a screw j, pivotally mounted on the upright w i and which can be brought round into theslot I A" in the lug l. lixed on the upright This I screw is provided with a nut I, titted with a handle m for the purpose of bringing the hoopl halves close to the halves u.

The screwj may be replaced by a cam-lever, I

clamping-tool, or any other device capable of serving the same purpose.

.The action is as follows: The staves r intended to form a cask or barrel are lirst arranged together somewhat in the form of Iaths or slats by means of wires 11 passing through staples o, lixed on each stave. The apparatus having been opened, the collection of connected stares is introduced verti .-ally therein. care being taken to arch the central part so as to lit the slaves in the lixed hoophalves 1/, as shown in Fig. A cask-bottom or end piece 1 is then placed in the upper rabbet formed in the stares 1-, and the hoophalves are brought near to the halves u, the two end stavcs being previously introduced into the hoop-halves /1. The screw is brought round into the slot Z" in the lug Z', care being taken to loosen the nut sulliciently to allow of its being held between the catches formed by the lug. Then by operating the handle 11/ the hoops l) are vigorously pulled, whereby the absolute juxtaposition of the stavcs and the making of them very tight against the end piece 1) are insured. During this operation the free ends of the wires 11 have not been lixed. This is etlected by putting tension on the wires 11 and then twisting the ends over one on the other.

Any suitable tool or tools may be used for putting the necessary tension on the wire hoops and twisting or otherwise securing the ends of the same together, and when the wires have been put under the desired tension and the ends twisted or otherwise secured together the tastening-staples w are used to l asten down the ends of the hoops.

The lowermost wire is left unt'astened. The hoop-halves are then loosened by loosening the nut and the formed cask is released from the cage and stood bottom end down, as shown in Fig. 4;. To close the cask at'ter lilling. a top or end piece p only is required. The introduction of this top piece 1) is facilitated by the tlexibility ot' the ends of the staves which have not yet been joined together by the top end wire/1. This lastmentioned operation is not carried out until the barrel has been lilled and ready for despatch, after Which it is secured in the same manner as the other Wire hoops 92 After being used the barrel may be taken to pieces by simply removing the staples 1', Which hold the ends of the Wires n, and unhooking said ends. The staves resume their original flat lath-like form, and several may then be placed one on the other, so as to occupy as little space as possible.

Having fully described my invention, What .I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is v In an apparatus of the character described, the combination With a base, of a verticallyarranged semicylindrical section fixedly se- 

